"Pina!"

Sirika approached Pina with a sparkle in her eyes, and the players around her breathed a sigh of relief. I thought there might be another boss added, but my fears turned out to be unfounded. Then Celica held out her hand to the "acquaintance" who came to her.

"Pina came to help me too, thank you!"

Pina looked at the smiling Sirika. - No, that's not true. He was glaring at me. She glared at her master, Celica, with an undeserved aggressive look.

"It can't be. You can't even tell the difference between what you're familiar with and what you're not? ”

\"Pi, Pina!? \"

Pina roared as a demagogical voice rang out. It was the voice of a boy about Jupiter's age. It sounded like Pina was talking, but when I looked closer, I saw that from Sirika, the source of the sound was a bit far from the left.

“？”

There was a figure there. The player wears a cape and hood that is black on the back and light blue on the front, keeping the upper body tight, but wearing black shorts on the lower body, exposing their legs. Because he was wearing a hood, he couldn't see his face clearly, and he couldn't tell whether it was a boy or a girl, so he could only say that he was a mysterious child.

The mysterious child makes a condescending gesture to a dazed Sirika.

"Here, take a closer look."

When Sirika turns to Pina, another strange thing happens. Pina's body suddenly began to grow larger. He quickly surpassed Sirika's height, his head in a position where he could look down on her.

The color of its fur changed from light blue to silvery-white, the feathers on its outstretched wings were pierced, three pairs of six holy swords protruded from it, and holy swords appeared on its majestic forehead. has grown.

Although the general shape of the feather has not disappeared, the appearance has changed to the appearance of a 'Hero Apostle'.

Sirika bent down and looked up at the dragon, which was Pina. The stegosaurus continued to glare at Celica with aggressive eyes. They are clearly enemies. Kirito couldn't believe what he was seeing either. The appearance of a second "heroic apostle" is not planned.

"Look, no, that's not your 'dependent', isn't that not even your own 'dependent' and lost the qualification of 'animal trainer'?"

Kirito glared at the mysterious child. What you just said was so vicious. He didn't understand how much Celica loved Pina – even if it was powerless – and he was too insensitive.

"Well, are you surprised? Look, something more interesting is about to happen. ”

As soon as the mysterious child said this, he suddenly put his hands on the ground and stood on tiptoe. He seems to have become a four-legged walker, but his actions are incomprehensible. Immediately after that, something happened to the child's body.

Its entire body swelled up like a rope, and then its entire body was wrapped in white fur, its abdomen turned into a carapace, and seven colored light streaks ran through it, and its outline became that of a wolf. It has a pair of distinctive wings protruding from its back and shoulders, and its fur is dyed aqua blue.

That figure was the 'acquaintance' of Eiji I saw by chance the day before yesterday.

"What...!?"

Kirito couldn't believe it. That mysterious child has become Eiji's "enchanter". As far as I know, the only people who can transform from humans to 'demons' are Lilan and Jupiter.

The kid who can do the same thing as them

"A long time ago, boss battle death games with two bosses at the same time were very popular. Lo and behold, this is the scene of the year! Enjoy! \"

Suddenly, a "voice" sounded in my head. The tone is that of an adult man, different from that of Lilan or even Jupiter. Could it be that the water wolf dragon released it?

It's exactly the same as Lilan and Jupiter.

"Uh-uh-uh-whoa!!"

At that moment, the Water Welvanosaurus unleashed a stream of water that slashed nearby players. The team members were caught off guard and disappeared into the rushing water. Not only that, but the water wolf dragon also launched a surprise attack, blasting nearby players with all his strength.

Incredibly, the water wolf dragon is attacking the player. Eiji's "familiarity" though it should be. What was supposed to be a battlefield full of player joy turned into chaos. Kirito is already caught in the middle of it.

"What's going on!? \"

"No, no, no! Don't come! ”

Hearing the screams, I looked back to see Filia and Celica fleeing from the Ahuizotlus and the Stegosaurus, respectively. Eventually, the two were combined, and the Ahuizosaurus and the Stegosaurus began to chase side by side.

\"Sirika, Filia! \"

Kirito immediately ran to the two of them. But I can't seem to catch up. It seems that the speed of the two is faster than anyone else. The two dragons were trying to catch up with the two men.

"Huh!?"

Just then, Sirika and Filia stopped. As if I had bumped into something. It should be a little further away from the wall.

As soon as I looked, Eiji was standing in front of Sirika and Filia. - Although his 'demon' is supposed to be the Water Wolf Dragon, he does not show signs of panic, and even when he is hit by two girls at the same time, he still remains calm.

"I'm sorry I bumped into you—"

"Let's get out of the way! It's coming—"

At this moment, Sirika and Filia spoke at the same time.

Eiji grabbed Filia's neck with his right hand and Celica with his left hand.

"Quack"

"Wow...!?"

Eiji easily picked up the two girls and looked up at them. A cruel smile appeared on his face.

"Didn't you hear what he said? Come and enjoy the game. ”

Eiji alternately waved his arms and threw Filia and Celica away. The two were tossed with unimaginable force, each in a different direction.

"Filia!!"

Among them, Filia is flying towards Kirito. I don't know if Eiji aimed at it, but Kirito let go of the sword and caught it with open hands. In less than a second, Filia's body collided with Kirito's body.

"Ga"

The air in the lungs is squeezed out, and the whole body is shocked and painful. Even so, Filia's momentum didn't stop. The two scuffled together and rolled on the ground several times before finally stopping.

Falling to the ground one after the other, hitting Philia head-on, I was in pain and began to lose consciousness.

What awakened Kirito's consciousness was the cry of the water wolf dragon. When I opened my eyes, a water wolf dragon was flying from the sky, approaching me with its right hand in a posture ready to attack.

The person lying on top of me was Filia. The water wolf dragon's target is Philia. If he didn't help, by the time he thought so, the pain and torture on Kirito was gone, and he was ready to take the next step.

He rolled over and placed himself on top of him, and Filia underneath him, buried Filia in his chest, and covered her head with both hands.

"Filia!!"

The next moment, Kirito was slashed in the back by the Water Wolf Dragon.

Then something strange happened - it attacked Kirito.

Sirika's body was thrown out by Eiji, and I don't know if it was good or bad, and flew towards Asuna. I immediately realized that it had been thrown so hard that it wouldn't hurt at all if it had been dropped to the ground like this.

\"Sirika-chan!! \"

Asuna let go of her rapier and caught Celica. Perhaps because it was petite, Celica's momentum was not so strong, and she blocked it with a press of her leg and a foot on it. A faint ache began to hit her body, but Asuna didn't have time to worry.

The stegosaurus that had been chasing Sirika was there, ready to wave its wings in front of it. He must have wanted to put an end to Cilica.

I'm not going to let that happen.

Asuna held Celica in her arms, her back to the stegosaur. Immediately afterward, Asuna's back was slashed by the dragon's sword wings. As I felt the impact, I saw that the health bar displayed above my field of vision was empty.

"Hunter Down"

The next moment, this sentence appeared in my field of vision. I felt as if something had infiltrated me from head to toe. My gaze turned bright red. Pour the white into it so that it turns pink, and crush the red so that it turns white. Inside, the three wavelengths of light, white, red, and blue fluctuate wildly.

Asuna couldn't even make a sound. I felt something coming into my head. It's a hand. An unseen hand reached into my head, trying to pull something out. This feeling dominated my mind and my whole body. Perhaps because of this, time seems to be stretched and the world seems to be in slow motion.

At the same time, a voice sounded at the same time as the hand was stuck in his head.

"What is this, what is this? \"

A voice echoed in my head. Familiar tone. This is the voice of my beloved child. But why do I hear my child's voice now? Moreover, noise is mixed in.

"Oh, Ogma is moving to aim at the mother, what is this?? \"

My child looks anxious. But you can't see it. All I could hear was a mix of noise.

\"No, don't touch Mommy! \"

Before she knew it, Asuna was about to answer the child's voice.

Just as I was about to ask a question

Hearing the child's extremely loud voice, Asuna's vision suddenly disappeared.

After hearing the explosion, Asuna's consciousness went dark. By the time I came to my senses, my body was soaking wet. I could hear the sound of countless droplets falling to the ground. It seems that he is in the rain. When I opened my eyes, the rain got into my eyes, but I quickly got used to it. The rain was unexpectedly heavy.

It fell excruciatingly from the pitch-black sky with a loud bang. The whole area was flooded, but luckily my body was flooded. Surrounded by plains. It rained heavily, but it was dark. It seems like it's night.

Nights, plains, and rain. Kirito, who thought of these three keywords in his head, was taken aback. How did I get here? It's to pick up someone who is important to you. So, even though it was late at night, he left the house and went where his loved one should be.

That's it. Braving heavy rain, we finally got here. Kirito / Kirito immediately looked around. In the darkness created by the night and the rain, that man exists. I'm here because I know that.

Eventually, Kirito noticed two shadows in the distance on the right. One of them was a figure about my size. The other is the shadow of a beast much larger than me. The beast was his own "familiar" and reliable companion.

Another person in the neighborhood is someone who is important to me. A girl who realizes that she is an important person. Kirito immediately ran towards the figure.

We finally met.

I was able to pick him up.

It couldn't have come at a better time.

\"Run, Shino! \"

Kirito waved his hand and called out the name of the "acquaintance", as well as the name of the lover. The shadow figure is clearly visible.

It was Lilan, the white wolf dragon, and Shino, who had unique black hair and light-colored clothing. Kirito ran towards them.

"That"

On the way, Kirito noticed something. No matter how much I run, I can't reach the two of you. Although it was supposed to run, the distance did not close. The distance between the two seems to be infinitely extended.

No matter how Kirito ran, he couldn't help but scream.

"Run, Shino——! \"

The two answered the phone.

However, the two looked at Kirito like strangers and answered their voices.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you? \"

Kirito stopped in surprise. Their faces did not change. He stared at Kirito with the expression of looking at a stranger.

Who are you? Who are you? The two posed such a question to Kirito. Kirito simply couldn't understand this.

What are you two talking about?

Shino, you and I were only together yesterday, right?

What is Lilan talking about? You were with me not so long ago.

Kirito answered the question as he struggled to banish the memories of the two from his mind. However, the next moment, something strange happened.

I don't remember.

The memories of Shino and Lilan have always lingered in my mind.

No.

Gone are the days spent with Shino and Lilan.

"That"

Kirito held his head. I remember the names Shino and Lilan. She remembered Shino as an important person and Lilan as a reliable companion. However, the details of the time spent with these people were not revealed.

First of all, I don't even know how I met these two people.

What was it like to meet Lilan?

Why is Rilan called Rilan?

I don't know why Lilan became my "acquaintance".

What was it like to meet Shinai?

Why is Shino so close to me?

Why do I think Shino is an important person to me?

Countless questions kept popping up in Kirito's empty head, trying to confront the two. There were no two people there. It disappeared out of nowhere.

And from the direction where they were, a black wave of qi was coming.

Although it was not strong enough to be called a tsunami, it was strong enough to engulf Kirito. Kirito can't escape. My legs were frozen and I couldn't move.

\"Why? Kirito thought as the black sea engulfed him.

By the time I jumped, the scenery in front of me had changed. Although the room was still dark. Although dyed dark, it consists of white walls and equally white floors and ceilings. And where I live is in bed. It doesn't belong in my room. This is a common bed in hospitals.

Is this a hospital? While thinking so, Kirito finds himself transformed back into Kirito.

That's the reality. And it looks like he's in a hospital ward.

Just when I was a little dazed, I heard a voice calling out to me.

\"Kirito? \"

He reacts and turns his attention to you. The person there was a man with black semi-long hair, tied to his cheeks with a white ribbon, black eyes and glasses (I knew that were actually prescription glasses), and girls. And one more person.

A blue-eyed girl with short orange-blonde hair that is rare in Japan.

They are Shino Asada, who is important to Kirito, and Kotone Takemiya, one of his companions and friends. Both looked at Kirito with surprised expressions.

\"Shinai piano sound? \"

"Why are you two here?" First of all, where is this place? If I'm not mistaken, it was in Ebisu Garden Square - before Kirito could ask the question, he felt a strong impact and was thrown on the bed. It was as if something had jumped on me.

When I looked down, I saw that the top of the head was pressed against my chest. The sound of the piano seemed to pounce on him.

\"Kirito, Kirito!! \"

The sound sounded like I was about to cry. No, it's not. I felt my chest moist. She was really crying. She cried and buried her face in my chest. I still don't know if it's because of my own awakening.

"Woo woo"

Immediately afterward, there was a faint throbbing pain in his chest. On the contrary, every part of my body was aching. When he let out a moan of his own involuntarily, the sound of the piano moved away from his chest as if taken aback. There were obvious tear stains on his face.

"I—I'm sorry"

Kotone immediately apologizes, but Kotone looks confused. Kirito also wanted to be confused, but before Kirito could be truly confused, Shino came over and put her hand on Kirito's shoulder.

\"Kirito you\"

"Shino"

Speaking of this, Kirito was taken aback. Like Koto, Shino also has tear stains on her eyes and cheeks. It's clearer than the sound. Kotone seems to cry a lot, but Shino seems to cry even more.

The reason for this must be myself, not anyone. Kirito reflexively hugged Shino's body. His body creaked mercilessly, and the pain was unbearable, but he couldn't help but hug Shino.

However, Kirito immediately had doubts. easily overshadowed the warmth of Shino's chest.

-That? Why do I want to embrace Shino?

The skepticism continues.

-That? What is the relationship between me and Shino?

I was able to give an answer to that.

- Ah, Shino is a very important person to me. Shino is a very important person to me, so I want to hug her like this. Poetry is my love. That's why I hug you.

As Kirito reconsiders his thoughts, more doubts begin to arise.

-That? So why is poetry my lover? What happened between me and her is why I care so much about Shino?

More problems arose, and it was like a decisive blow.

-That? Where and how did I and the poet meet?

"Kirito-san, it looks like you're okay. \"

Hearing the voice, Kirito came back to his senses. At this time, Shino left Kirito's chest and sat down on the chair next to Kotone. A new figure appeared behind him.

A woman in her twenties, dressed in white, can also see plump breasts, reddish-brown eyes, and silky long black hair.

I remember the name. Airi Serizawa. Kirito usually calls her "Alice-sensei", and she looks down at him with a relieved expression on her face. There are a few standing, but I think she's the taller one best.

At the same time that Alice appeared, a small light came on and we were illuminated.

\"Teacher Alice\"

"Ah, I see, I think you can see it too."

Kirito looked around. It looks like it's a hospital after all, but I don't know what happened to bring me here.

Yes, just like the Shino and Koto in front of you.

"Where is this? What's wrong with me?"

It was Shino who spoke.

According to the girls, they performed the ordinal scale with everyone at Ebisu Garden Plaza, and during the performance, they were able to capture the sound of the piano being blown away from their bodies. Although he was injured at the time, he became a shield to protect Kotone from the wolf dragon's pursuit.

At that time, he felt like he had been struck by lightning and was visibly unconscious. After that, the girls called an ambulance and I was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Fortunately, his injuries were very light, and only needed bandages, bandages, bandages, and did not require hospitalization. It looks like I will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow (it's already past two o'clock in the morning today).

However, the fact that she had been unconscious seemed to worry both the doctors and the girls.

\"Did anything like that happen? \"

\"yes. Asuna woke up immediately, but you didn't wake up at all."

After Shino, Alice sighed.

"That's why these girls, myself included, follow you all the time. You collapsed around 21:20 and it's 2:30 a.m., so you're in a coma for six hours. That's it. ”

It seems that you still remember what happened at that time. Have six hours passed since then? But that's not a problem. But should we talk about this?

After Kirito was overwhelmed, Alice shouted to him.

"Of course Shino was surprised when she saw the sound of the piano, right? \"

Kirito nodded momentarily, then turned back to Kotone. I knew Shino and Alice would be in the hospital room, but it was unusual for Kotone to appear in the hospital room. Before Kirito could speak, Kotone spoke.

"Because Kirito accepted me and protected me??, I was hurt just like he was hurt because of me, so"

The sound of the piano was about to cry again. The words are also a little awkward. Are you sure you protected the sound at the time? Although she is the cause of this situation, she does not believe that it is all the fault of the tone.

It's all my fault, I don't want the sound to hurt.

"It's not your fault, it's his. He killed Kotone, Celica \"

At that time, Notilus, a former member of the Knights of the Blood Pact, appeared on the ordinal scale. A young man now named Eiji grabbed Kotone and Philia and Sirika by the neck and threw them out.

This was clearly an act of malice and the purpose of the violence was to cause harm.

"Airi-sensei, what's wrong with him? I guess the police intervened as well. ”

"Of course. But I was not arrested, interrogated, or volunteered. ”

Kirito was surprised. Hasn't Eiji, who did all this, been arrested yet? It's absolutely weird.

"Why!?"

"What he did was clearly tantamount to an attack, but he used a virtual character named Eiji. There are quite a few players named Eiji there, and the name Eiji alone makes people wonder which Eiji it is. I do not know. ”

"That's it, he's the second-ranked celebrity, and his profile picture is the same as in reality."

Alice shook her head. He looked regretful.

"You can't rely on order, ranking, ranking, or the appearance of virtual characters. If the Eiji falls from second to around 100th, then 99th, 100th, 101st, 102nd...... If a player has an avatar name "All Ages" that is ranked by chance, how do you determine which age is being discussed?

Plus, you can change your avatar as much as you want, it's just that you don't want to. If you change your profile picture and your ranking drops, you won't know what age group you are. No one saw the real Eiji there. So the police can't do anything either. Something as uncertain as the ranking of a game called Ordinal Scale is not proof.

Kirito gritted his teeth. It is true that this incident was caused by the player named Eiji, but he was never caught by the police. Even if there is physical evidence, it can be rewritten at will.

Eiji probably understood this and carried out the attack. I was completely ahead of my time. I was frustrated.

However, Kirito soon changed his doubts. It wasn't just Kotone who was defeated by that Eiji, but also Keiko. And Keiko was supposed to be protected by Asuna.

\"Then again, what happened to Keiko Celica? That girl was protected by Asuna\"

\"That's right. Keiko was saved because Asuna protected her. \"

After receiving Alice's answer, Kirito realizes that he has another problem. Shino had said before that Asuna would wake up immediately. I must have been in the same situation as you.

Before I ask this question, Alice continues.

"But I was shocked at the time."

When Asuna was protecting Keiko, when she was attacked by a boss monster, she felt like she had been struck by lightning just like herself.

However, at this moment, Jupiter rushed to Asuna's side with a "familiar" attitude. And, in the next moment, Jupiter's body exploded right above Asuna. Jupiter in his demon form tore his body apart and fell to the ground, returning to his original form.

It is said that Jupiter's arm was missing at that time, as if it had exploded.

Asuna quickly came to her senses, but what she saw was her "familiar" child falling to the ground, and when it returned to its original shape, both arms were torn off. Seeing such a terrible situation, Asuna panicked and could only scream loudly.

Kirito falls into a coma, Asuna screams wildly, Jupiter loses his arms, Keiko sees Jupiter burst into tears, Kotone and Shino panic for the unconscious Kirito, and the three demon kings go on a rampage. Everything is going crazy and falling into chaos. It was the battlefield at that time.

"Jupiter is like that!"

Moreover, as soon as Kirito-kun and Jupiter fell, Eiji's "familiar" dragon suddenly became angry and went berserk. It attacks not only the surrounding players, but also the boss monsters that are with them. As a result, the man caught the attention of the boss monster, and when the time came, there were no more victims. ”

It doesn't matter that Eiji's "acquaintances" go berserk. And what about Jupiter, who lost both arms? Is he okay?

Alice understands Kirito's problem.

"You're worried about Jupiter. That's what your expression says. ”

"Of course! What happened to Jupiter? ”

"I'm lucky that she's Evolti Anima, a cyber lifeform. "I sent Lilan, Yui, and Strea to Asuna's computer via Augmar and pulled out Jupiter's backup inside, which I can fix by overwriting the current one. Jupiter. Well, in exchange, I lost all my memories of yesterday. ”

Kirito breathed a sigh of relief for the time being. Even if a cyber lifeform such as Jupiter is damaged due to an accident, it can be restored by preparing a backup, so it can be dealt with as long as there is a backup.

And since Asuna didn't say that she did the restoration of backing up Jupiter, then I'm afraid only Lilan and they can do it. In any case, Jupiter's salvation was a blessing in disguise.

"Hey, Kirito, is there anything you need?" \"

Kirito: "Huh? Then he turned around. The owner of the voice is Shino.

"Now that Jupiter has become like this, something must have happened to you. That's why you've been unconscious? \"

Kirito is surprised by Shino's question. Someone asked me the last thing I wanted to hear.

"I was thinking about it until you woke up, but at that time you were all triggered by the attack of the boss monster and were attacked by some phenomenon. However, Jupiter sensed Asuna's situation and used him as a stand-in for Ogmar, who forcibly stopped Asuna. That's why Jupiter was injured like that. True or not, I'll never hear from him. \"

\"Kirito-san, can you answer me honestly? How are you feeling right now? \"

Kirito is surrounded by Airi, Shino, and Kotone, trying to figure out what is going on in his head.

I try to pull any book out of the library, and the library is full of shelves called memories and full of books called memories. I searched for the joys and sorrows of SAo. Browse your memories like picking up a book.

But that's nothing. If it's a book, it's just a blank page. All memories up until yesterday have gone blank.

The memories of being trapped in SAo are still clear. After that, there were memories of playing ALo with everyone, and memories of playing SAo. They are. However, his memories from being trapped in SAo to escaping from SAo are whitewashed.

No, not all of them were erased, just a little bit was left but it was like I didn't remember.

The days of meeting with you, uniting with you, working together – the days I spent to clear SAo were all dyed white.

"I don't remember."

“？”

Kirito instinctively grabbed Kotone's shoulder. Make sure you look at each other and ask.

\"Piano tone. Your avatar's name is Filia. I met you in SAo. But in what part of SAo did we meet? What is the first floor, what happened? \"

Next, Kirito grabbed Shiina's shoulder. She was stunned.

\"Shina, I love you. You are the most important person to me. So, we met at SAo. But when did we meet? How did you and I meet? Why do I think you are someone important to me? How long have we been living together? ”

Shino was still at a loss. Kirito shook his head.

Not this one. I don't want to see such a reaction. I don't want to hear that answer.

"Tell me, Shino. Why I, we\"

"Don't be kidding at this time. \"

Shino stopped Kirito and covered his hands with her hands.

"When did we meet? Why am I important to you? You didn't tell me about it, and you didn't tell me everything. You, you didn't accept me, and besides, you also understood that I didn't think it was reasonable."

I tried to echo Shino's words in my head. However, no effect was observed. I don't remember anything. Therefore, the Japanese ...

"Is that so?"

I have no choice but to tell you the truth. When Shino learned of this fact, her face suddenly turned pale. The warmth in her hands faded away, and eventually left her, and her body became unstable. Kotone notices Shino crumbling and asks her to sit in a chair.

Alice immediately placed her hand on Kirito's shoulder. He looked grim.

\"Kirito-san, don't you remember? I don't remember, Kirito-san. \"

"Yes. I don't have any memory of SAo, I remember ALo and "SAo", but SAo"

"So, you don't remember how we met. Also, why is your 'familiar' Lilan called 'Lilan'? Did it ever happen? ”

I can't answer all of Alice's questions. The encounter with Airi, the encounter with Rilan, and why Rilan is an "acquaintance" are all whitewashed. Alice stared at Kirito and whispered.

\"Kirito-kun, I'm going to transfer you to a big hospital in Ochanomizu. I'll be there to connect you to the medical cube. Until then, you go to sleep. \"

Kirito didn't speak, only nodded.

The next day, Kirito was transferred to a large hospital in Ochanomizu. Although he was discharged from the hospital, he was transferred to Ochanomizu Hospital, where the medical cube is located, for a brain examination. The hospital where Airi used to work and Shino studied. The medical cube is something that the two have used before.

Kirito was connected to one of the two machines and properly inspected. As a result, he had problems with his memory. Kirito's brain is undergoing a high-power, limited-range scan. That range is the memories associated with SAo.

When confronted with a scene reminiscent of previous SAo scenes, Ogma scans the human brain, pinpointing individual neurons that are recalling it and forcibly focusing electronic impulses on it to create images. It is said to have been forcibly pulled out and read. This is what shocked Kirito.

As a result of this scanning, there are problems and problems with memory abilities that lead to temporary memory loss. So I can't remember anything about when I was at SAo.

Moreover, there are many patients suffering from this symptom in Tokyo, and none of them are able to participate in ordinal level event battles. Kirito also became one of them. This is what the doctor told me.

- Shino was fascinated by the sight in front of her. The doctor's story continues.

While we're still stuck in the SAo era, that doesn't mean it won't get worse. It is said that Kirito's condition is that his spine degenerates due to the reception of electrical impulses, resulting in a failure of memory regeneration.

Kirito had been in a coma for six hours, so it may have penetrated deep into his brain when Ogma scanned him. Depending on the situation, there may even be a more serious memory problem - hearing this sentence, not only Shino, but also Kotone and Airi who were present, as well as Kirito himself, were speechless for a while.

Kirito may lose not only SAo's memory, but also ALo's memory and even SAo's memory.

It's just a possibility. For Shino, however, it felt like telling her what to expect in the future. Kirito's memories are rapidly fading.

Now, they've forgotten everything from what happened to SAo to escaping from Ayn Grant. That's bad enough in itself, but it's constantly expanding its scope, forgetting everything about ALo and SAo.

I met Kirito at SAo. That's when he accepted me, fell in love with me, and became my partner. The basic part called SAo is gone, as are its branches, ALo and "SAo". If that's the case, the existence of our girl named Shino Asada will disappear from the people of Kirito.

The days and memories I spent with Kirito will be erased. Everything will be white and nothing. I'm going to be thrown into a world forgotten by Kirito - Shino's mind is full of such thoughts, and she can't stop.

\"Is Aira-sensei Kirito okay? \"

Qin Yin shouted to Alice next to her. Now, Shino is in the waiting room of the hospital with Alice and Kotone.

Kirito connects to the medical cube and listens to the doctor's instructions before heading to the operating room. This is because he was diagnosed by the surgeon at the hospital and needed to have his injuries re-examined. If the result is positive, you will be discharged from the hospital. This is a joy in itself, but Shino is not happy at all.

The same goes for Koto and Airi. Airi replied with an expression like she had bitten a bitter worm.

"I can't say. It's now within range of SAo, but as the doctor said, I can't say for sure that it won't spread anymore. There's a good chance it's going to get worse. \"”。

\"If that's the case, Kirito will have to deal with us and me\"

Shino asked cautiously. Alice bowed her head.

\"Ahh You'll forget everything about us, VRmmo, Shiina. \"

Alice said in a calm voice. This was a natural death sentence for Shino. Sure enough, if Kirito continues like this, he will forget everything about them and himself. Kirito forgets everything, and he disappears from Kirito.

Everything I've built so far and the future I've envisioned has collapsed. About the sins and illnesses I have, and what will happen in the future after overcoming them. Everything is about to disappear.

I don't know how to prevent this.

"I didn't expect something like this to happen to Ogmar. The mysterious program that appeared when Ogma was dismantled Well, it can't be analyzed or analyzed. It was meant to do something like that. ”

Alice seemed surprisingly satisfied. At the time, Alice told him that an unidentified program discovered inside Ogma had stolen the memories of SAo survivors.

I don't know why it exists, but because of that program, Kirito's memory was taken away. It's all Ogma's fault.

Anger overflowed in my chest, and I wanted to reach for Ogma in my pocket. I wanted to crush it, break it, but the sound of my smartphone's vibrator stopped me.

When I took it out, an SNS message was displayed. The sender was Lilan and it read: "Open Augmar. "You can see that she is worried about Kirito.

There is no prohibition on the use of ogma in the waiting room of the hospital, but because I am talking to Lilan and them, the waiting room is not eligible. I need to leave the building. Shino told the two of them about Lilan, and the three of them left the hospital together.

Ogma is the worst machine that has stolen Kirito's memories, but using it is Yuichi's method of fluent conversation with Lilan and the others. Realizing her frustration, Shino puts on Ogma and activates it.

The level of the virtual world is adapted to the real world, and the three girls almost appeared in front of me. It's Lilan, Yui, and Streya. Yui and Streya, who usually gain mobility abilities and provide support in the form of navigation sprites, have also returned to their original forms.

"Shiina, Alice! And the sound of the piano! \"

"All three."

Before he could respond to Alice's call, the three of them ran up to him. Everyone looked worried.

\"What happened to Kirito? What happened after that? \"

\"yes, Kirito-san, now-\"

Before the mother could answer her daughter's question, Shino noticed that her eyes had become blurry. A few drops of water ran down his cheeks. I immediately started sobbing and couldn't stop.

\"Yui, Lilan Yui, Lila Kirito, Kirito, Kirito\"

The next moment, Shino felt her knees go weak and fell to her knees on the spot. I couldn't stop crying and sobbing. It's as if an invisible plug has been pulled off and gushes out in a steady stream. It's not the time to do something like this, it's not the time to cry, but I can't stop my tears or my voice.

There are multiple hands caressing Shiina's back and head. Alice hugged me, and Yui and Strea stroked my back.

\"I thought I could stop crying since I heard about Kirito-kun, but you persevered anyway okay okay you did a great job, Shino. \"

Shiina, burying her face in Alice's warm arms, began to cry loudly. I decided not to do anything that would make me cry anymore, but I had forgotten about it by then.

After Shino's emotions calmed down and her tears calmed down, Alice and Kotone told the three of them about Kirito's situation. The three of them were naturally extremely surprised and looked incredulous.

"Kirito lost his memory about SAo, he made me a "friend" of the memory!? \"

\"Ahh That's what the doctor and himself said. Kirito-kun seems to have forgotten why you became a 'demon' and why your name is Lilan. ”

"So does that mean Daddy has forgotten about me and Streya?"

Alice stroked Yui's head, and she looked like she was about to cry.

"It's not true, Yui. The reason why you don't remember your father is because of your memories and experiences at SAo. I haven't forgotten that you are my daughter and that Strea is Yui's sister. No, it's not. I forgot, I can't remember. ”

"So how did this happen? Was it because Kirito was attacked by the Apostle of the Brave at that time? That's why it's triggered? \"

As soon as Streya said this, Qin Yin suddenly became surprised and asked the three of them.

"Hey, since then, the three of you have been working with Asuna to fix Jupiter. Yesterday Asuna, like Kirito, was attacked by the Hero Apostle and couldn't fight, but what happened to Nana tomorrow? Is she the same as Kirito? \"After all? ”

It was Lilan who answered. Unexpectedly, she shook her head.

"No, Asuna doesn't look too bad. If she had amnesia, she would have said she didn't remember Ayn Grant's memory, but she didn't say that. \"

At this moment, Shi Nai had a flash of inspiration and was stunned.

Although Kirito and Asuna have both experienced the same thing, only Kirito has amnesia, while Asuna is fine. However, Asuna's son, Jupiter, seemed to replace him, suffering serious injuries, losing both arms and consciousness.

At that time, Asuna had already transferred Jupiter's body to Ogmar. When Asuna is attacked by the Heroic Apostle and is unable to fight, Jupiter is injured and unconscious, while Asuna is not. The reason why Jupiter placed his main body in Ogmar was to use himself as a stand-in to help Asuna. Body.

That's why Asuna is fine. Shino couldn't help but slowly stand up.

"Lilan, I'm sure Jupiter's body is in Asuna's Ogmar. \"

\"Huh? Ah, by the way, Asuna put her body into Ogma in order to communicate with Jupiter\"

When Lilan said this, everyone except Shino reacted. Yui said briefly.

\"I didn't expect my brother to notice Ogma's abnormality at that time, and he actually took Miss Asuna's place!? \"

\"So, if we leave the main body in Kirito's Ogmar, Kirito won't have amnesia!? \"

That's it. I'm sure that if Lilan and his friends lived in Kirito's Ogmari like Jupiter, Kirito might not have memory problems or forget himself.

Because he didn't do it, and because he didn't let Kirito do it, that's why this happened.

Driven by intense anger, Shino grabbed Lilan's chest in the next moment.

"Lilan, why! Why don't you let Kirito transfer your body! If your body was in Kirito's Ogmar, Kirito wouldn't have done such a thing!! ”

Lilan looked surprised. However, that expression quickly turned to regret. She seems to think so like me, but that only adds to Shino's anger. I can't believe you're reacting like that now.

\"You, you! You are Kirito!! \"

If you stay strong, I'm sure Kirito - was about to say the next word, but it stopped in the throat. Because suddenly I heard a voice.

"Stop, Shino!! \"

It came from behind. When I looked back in surprise, the sound was there. She grabbed the hem of her pants and lowered her head. I could see tears running down my cheeks.

It's my fault. If I had done better at the time, if I had escaped better, I wouldn't have let Kirito get involved and hurt him, or make him forget SAo's memories. That didn't happen. But I couldn't do anything about it in the end, so I asked Kirito to intervene and let him do it."

So, blame me if you want to blame it - that's what Kotone told me. Shino stopped moving, she didn't expect Kotone to say such a thing.

However, the contingencies did not stop. Shiina's body suddenly changed direction, and shock appeared on her cheeks. There was a delayed dry sound, and the pain began to spread throughout my body.

The pain brought Shino back to her senses. At that moment, I was stunned. Alice was right in front of him, and her posture was like a slap in the face. The person who hit me just now was Alice.

"I understand your feelings, but that's not what you'd say to your daughter Shino. \"

Alice stared at me with piercing eyes. I can't find any objection to this.

"Indeed, if Kirito-kun puts the corpses of Lilan, Yui, and Strea into Ogma, maybe he will be able to save Kirito-kun in his place like Jupiter did at that time. That is, one or all of the three people were seriously injured.

Jupiter is "mhhp mdouble", and the data density is large and dense, so two arms, two arms, blow, blow, fly, degree, degree, and it's done. If you change to Yui and Streya, which are MHCPs with low and thin data density, they may all be blown up. In this case, having a backup won't help either. ”

Alice took a slow step towards him. Shino couldn't take her eyes off those eyes.

"What you mean is that if Yui had died at that time, Kirito-kun wouldn't have become like this. You're saying that you want Yui to die, not Kirito-kun to be saved. My beloved daughter. He said he hoped he could be saved. \"Dead.

You are not an incompetent mother. ”

Of course, I can deny what Alice said.

I want Kirito to be saved, but I also don't want Yui or Streya to die. But if Kirito's Ogma had a body of his own, Kirito might not have lost his memory.

However, at that time, they were sacrificed

A shadow slowly appeared in front of Shiina, Shino holding her head, various ideas conflicting with each other. It's Yui. With his back to Shiina, facing Alice.

"Please don't blame Mom, Alice-san. \"

\"By\"

Alice's eyes didn't change. He just shifted his attention from Shino to Yui.

"yes, I was supposed to take my father's place at that time. If I had forced Dad to put his body in Ogmar's place and take Daddy's place, Dad would have avoided losing our precious memories with Mom. "It's all my fault for not being able to protect my dad, so please don't blame my mom"

Yui burst into tears. Yui wasn't that bad. It's not Yui's fault. But now, I'm going to say that it's Yui's fault, it's Streya's fault, and Lilan's fault

At this moment, Shino felt a slight vibration and warmth in her chest. Yui turns to the right and collides with Shino's chest. Instead of hugging Shiina, he clenched his fists on Shiina's chest.

"I'm sorry, Mom, I'm sorry because I didn't protect Dad, I didn't do my duty as an MHCP"

Yui apologized with tears. When I heard this voice, my vision was blurred. Even though I was already crying a lot, the tears started to flow down again and I couldn't stop it.

Shino hugged her daughter, her daughter reflected in her wet vision, and she screamed.

\"Yui, I'm sorry, I'm sorry this happened\"

I could only cry and apologize to Yui. Strea was already crying at the time, but Lilan supported her. Lilan lowered her head, clenched her fists, and did not speak. Koolin sobbed backstage.

It becomes a place where all kinds of emotions come and go, and Alice is the one who hasn't changed her behavior.

“！”

Walking out of the clinic and on the way back to the reception, Kirito finds that the girls who accompany him are outside. Shino, Kotone, Alice. There are these three people, but there are others besides them. Intuitively thinking of this, Kirito puts on Ogma and opens it.

When the virtual world layer is applied to the real world, three more girls can be seen. I don't know why, I play an "acquaintance", Lilan, in addition to my beloved daughter Yui, and Yui's sister Streya, I can't remember.

I don't remember why, but I do remember that they were my precious family. The family is crying right now. It's not just the three of us. Everyone but Alice seems to be crying.

All

I'm not even sure how I met these people or how I spent time with them. I started with SAo, and now my memories of ALo are starting to fade.

What I knew was the time I spent with the girls at SAo, but it was enough. The girls I spend time with at SAo are the most important people to me. Even in SAo and ALo, which I don't remember anymore, there is no doubt that they are all important figures.

Kotone and Airi are irreplaceable friends, and Yui, Streya, and Lilan are a family that shares ups and downs.

And they are people who love each other - Shino. No matter how hard we try to forget, this fact cannot be hidden.

Those who were important were crying outside the hospital. Just by looking at the current situation, Kirito realized that it was self-inflicted.

No matter how hard I try to recall, I can't remember how I knew them. Not only that, but even my memories of me and them are fading.

That's it. That's why they cry for themselves.

They cry because they have lost their memory. Grief and pain. I made them cry because something like this had just happened to me.

You are grieving and crying the people you love and whom you have sworn to protect, even though you have decided not to make them cry.

It's all my fault that this happened...

The next moment, Kirito banged his fist against the wall. He also added a headbutt. The place where the band-aid was attached hit the wall and it hurt so much. Both patients and visitors in the waiting room were surprised. However, Kirito didn't care about it.

My vision was distorted. I made them cry, and I couldn't relive their memories in my head, and this thing piled up on me, so I kept crying.

"Fuck"

If you are attacked by an incapable fighter while playing the game, you will lose the memory of the SAo era. It's not normal for something like this to happen.

Doctors said that among those who participated in the ordinal scale, only SAo survivors complained of having these symptoms. When SAo survivors are unable to fight due to ordinal ranks, Ogma will extract their memories from the SAo period. I'm sure that ordinal scales and Augmar were created in this way.

Unless someone with malicious intent did it on purpose, this kind of thing will not happen.

The person who planned and executed all this is the one who has been extracted from his memory, and the one who has brought unnecessary grief and pain to the girls. They suffer and grieve because of his malice.

Not only them, but all the SAo survivors who survived that extreme world were played with by that person's malice. Soon, that evil hand will reach out to them as well. They are also SAo survivors.

Anger flooded my chest like fire. Who is causing all this, leaving them so grief-stricken that they even want to take away their memories? Who is to blame for everything?

I tried to think, but couldn't think of an answer. Just as he felt even more frustrated and was about to bang his face against the wall, Kirito sensed a nearby presence. I can understand why it's not the hospital staff, the patients, or the customers.

Kirito turned around as if he had been invited, a little surprised. There's a girl there.

A young girl dressed in white, wearing a distinctive white cloak with a light green edge. She has the exact same appearance as the girl who suddenly appeared in Yoyogi Park yesterday.

"I'm sure you were yesterday"

It can only be seen by attaching Augmar and cannot be touched. A girl who doesn't say who she is without saying her name. Kirito talks to the girl.

"Who are you? Why did it suddenly appear? ”

"There's what you're looking for."

Kirito tilted his head unconsciously. Yesterday, the girl asked me to "go to her". Since you're asking them to look for it, they must be the ones who have what they want. Let's put it this way.

"Isn't that what you're looking for? You told me yesterday. ”

"Yes. I found what I was looking for. ”

With that, the girl turned around and pointed in the other direction. If you look south-southwest from Ochanomizu Station (near Ochanomizu Station), you will find the direction of Setagaya Ward. That's what Augmar told me to my interface window.

"Setagaya?"

"There, there."

When a girl adds this content, the destination window expands on its own and sets a new destination on its own. When Kirito saw the name of the place, he was taken aback.

Immediately afterward, the girl was shrouded in light and disappeared. Once again, Kirito couldn't ask the girl's name and purpose, but was even more surprised by the destination the girl had designated.

The location is Toto Institute of Technology in Ookayama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.

"Damn!!"

Boy – Van slams the shelves in the lab. Since he only exists in the virtual world, he can't have any effect on his body, but it doesn't matter if he wears Ogma. Fan's fist had already entered the rack, making a hole in the rack. He unleashed so much anger.

Eiji, the actual owner of the van, squints at him as he opens a can of beer and puts the contents in his mouth. I could feel the irritation on my tongue and the strong bitterness characteristic of carbonated drinks.

Until a few years ago, I couldn't drink alcohol because I was underage, but now I can drink alcoholic beverages like this. It is said that you can only truly appreciate the taste of beer in your thirties, but Eiji can understand this even though he is only in his twenties.

"Van, don't worry too much. You've found what you're looking for, right? ”

I took a deep breath and told Van, but Van's anger didn't subside.

"You didn't get it! You can't get the [glitter] thing. Your damned brother is in the way again! It's all because of your damn brother that you can't get the [Flash] thing! ”